


Guidance

by SnowPetal



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Chara is a bit evil but it's genocide so that should be expected, Frisk isn't exactly good either, Gen, Undertale Genocide Route, basically a look into how Chara went from wanting to free monsters to wanting to kill them, not sure if the archive warnings are needed but they're there just to be safe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-14
Updated: 2017-06-14
Packaged: 2018-11-14 04:48:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11200758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnowPetal/pseuds/SnowPetal
Summary: At first, it hurts to see the dust scatter to the ground. It doesn't feel right, as if the very sight of the light grey substance is an anomaly to this world. As you continue to swing around your toy knife, however, it begins to feel less and less unsettling. The confusion I felt upon waking up is slowly drifting away with each swing of your hand as I grow more and more distant from my emotions. I feel empty, but that is a good thing; emotions were always useless, always making me feel hurt and pain. I don't need to feel anymore, I've decided. All I need now is to help my partner fulfill their purpose.Or: The Undertale genocide route, but with even more angst and sadness!





	Guidance

**Author's Note:**

> This is really just a little character study I did for Chara. Not many people understand their feelings and motivations in the genocide route, either saying that they were in control and evil the entire time, or that they were completely against the player/Frisk's efforts to kill monsters the entire time. My interpretation is a little different from both of those, but I believe it to be the most accurate to what is presented in the game.

There is screaming, gasping, the sound of a distant wail. Someone is clinging to me, wrapping their arms around my broken body, pulling me closer, closer until wetness stains my cheek. The smell of salty tears permeates the air around me.

 _I failed,_ is the only thought that crosses my mind as I begin to fall apart, bits and pieces of my–his–our body scattering like ashes to lay amidst the flowers. This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. I want to laugh. I want to cry. I want to load my save file and make things right again. But nothing works. All I can do is wallow in confusion as my entire world falls apart, and then everything fades to black.

When I wake up, it is to a sudden burst of pain coursing through my body. Somewhere within me, I feel a burst of determination, and suddenly it’s not so dark anymore. My eyes shoot open to see a flower in front of me, staring blankly as if in awe.

 _Where am I?_ I think. I struggle to remember what had happened, where I was. Then suddenly, it dawns on me – I had died. Not once, but twice. Yet here I am, still here, still just me, still alive despite everything. But why? Why am I not dead like I’m supposed to be? I wonder. And why is the flower in front of me alive? Maybe I really am dead.

Before I can figure anything out, the creepy flower is shot out of view by a magic fireball. Then another figure appears before me, and the confusion hits me once again, this time coupled with an intense feeling of remorse. It’s her… I think, unable to speak. It’s her, the one who took me in once upon a time, the one who cared for me and treated me as her own. The one whom I had failed.

She speaks, slowly, nervously, but she isn’t speaking to me, I soon realize. She is speaking to you, another child, one who has just fallen down into the underground. One who has somehow managed to revive me from death for the second time in my pitiful existence. 

The woman introduces herself as Toriel, and beckons for you to follow her. You do as she says, and I am left with a hollow feeling inside me. What has happened for her to be locked up in the ruins? I wonder. How long has it been? Has she forgotten me completely? I wouldn’t blame her if she has.

Slowly but surely I come to realize the situation I am in. I am trapped within the body of another child, clinging onto their soul for dear life. No one can see me. No one knows I am here besides myself and you. At first I’m skeptical to trust you – you are a human after all. But then again, you awakened me from death; you are all I have left binding me to this plane of existence. And for what purpose? I had already tried once to fulfill my destiny, but to no avail. So why won’t fate just let me die already? What else is there left for me to do?

As you continue along through the ruins, I receive my answer.

At first, it hurts to see the dust scatter to the ground. It doesn’t feel right, as if the very sight off the light grey substance is an anomaly to this world. As you continue to swing around your toy knife, however, it begins to feel less and less unsettling. The confusion I felt upon waking up is slowly drifting away with each swing of your hand as I grow more and more distant from my emotions. I feel empty, but that is a good thing; emotions were always useless, always making me feel hurt and pain. I don’t need to feel anymore, I’ve decided. All I need now is to help my partner fulfill their purpose.

When our first task is complete, the ruins have finally been reduced to just that - ruins. Ruins of the various, once lively, hopeful monsters that lived there, piles of dust being all that remains. 

Toriel smiles as she welcomes you into her home, so gentle and sweet. _So naive._

_Where are the knives?_

Of course they wouldn’t be here. She would have hidden them away so that her precious little foster children wouldn’t hurt themselves. Her precious little replacements for me. Ha. Hahaha. It’s so funny.

You look in the mirror and see a face looking back at you, deadpan expression, dull, emotionless eyes. The look is so familiar, in a frightening kind of way. I laugh, because I can no longer tell whether the person looking back is you or me.

_It’s me, Chara._

Then you leave the hallway and head down the stairs. She stops you, of course. She can’t bear the feeling of having to lose another child, having to watch them leave to their inevitable doom.

Little does she know that you're not the one she should be worried for.

She speaks to you firmly, pleadingly, blocking your way out of the ruins, and we both know that there's only one way out. For a moment, you hesitate, as if you're thinking of fleeing back up to your room as she told you to like a good little child. But you're not a good child, and we both know that. And so I tell you, _Not worth talking to_ and you snap back to reality.

When you refuse to run, she fights you, tells you to prove that you are strong enough to survive. You do more than just that. You raise your toy knife high and strike her down in one blow, and she falls to her knees, eyes wide with fear, perhaps shock. And then, with her final breaths, she laughs.

“Y... you... really hate me that much? Now I see who I was protecting by keeping you here. Not you... But them! Ha... ha…”

As her soul shatters to dust, I feel a sudden pang of… something. Something confusing, something forlorn, something that, for a split second, almost feels painfully familiar. Images flash before me - images of smiles, and laughs, and comforting hugs, and in that split second, I almost recognize that feeling as guilt, as failure, as a terrifying sense of horror.

But then you step forward, not even bothering to walk around the new pile of dust on the ground, and the odd feeling passes.

As you make your way out of the ruins, you are halted by a golden flower sprouting up out of the ground, blocking your way. This is the same flower from earlier, I realize. The one that was there when I woke up, the one that tried to kill you. Flowey.

And well, he may have tried to kill you before, but now we're going to teach him that his philosophy was right. In this world, it truly is kill or be killed.

You finger your dusty knife, preparing to strike the abominable creature down, but then he begins to speak, and what he says completely and utterly surprises us.

“Hahaha.... You're not really human, are you?” When your expression changes ever so slightly at his comment, he smirks. “No. You're empty inside, just like me. In fact... you're Chara, right? We're still inseparable after all these years....”

That's when all thoughts of killing the creature instantly dissipate.

 _He's alive!_ some small, still hopeful part of me thinks. The initial feeling is soon quenched, however, when reality catches up to my fleeting fantasies, and my thoughts darken.

_He's alive…._

He’s alive, and he _betrayed_ me. So why should I be happy to see him? He deserved to die for what he did, did he not?

“Listen,” he continues before you or I have a chance to say anything. “I have a plan to become all powerful. Even more powerful than you and your stolen soul. Let's destroy everything in this wretched world. Everyone, everything in these worthless memories.... Let's turn 'em all to dust.”

 _These worthless memories…._ He's right about that much. All of my muddled memories, of joy, of some false sense of happiness, keep resurfacing inside me, and they're all nothing but worthless. Even if some small part of me is opposed to the idea of destroying everyone I once cared for, it's time to throw those memories away forever so that we can fulfill our goal, just as Flowey suggested.

He might still be of some use to us.

Without another word, Flowey once again disappears, and you and I are left alone with an empty room and a long path ahead of us. That's okay though; as long as I have a direction to go, whether it be down the path of helping people or slaughtering them, I am willing to do anything.

I am filled with determination.

 

\-----

 

Mirroring your actions in the ruins, you turn all of the monsters in snowdin forest to dust.

15 left.

8 left.

3 left.

1 left.

Determination.

The chilly atmosphere around us seems somehow less cold than it was back when I was alive. Perhaps it's because your soul has become so icy that we've grown immune to it.

The short, stocky skeleton doesn't like you. He makes that increasingly clear as you continue throughout the forest, rudely walking through his brother's puzzles and collecting more and more dust on your hands and clothes.

At one point he tries to threaten you, saying that if you continue down this path, you're going to have a bad time. It's almost laughable, the mere idea that he of all people would be capable of stopping you.

It's no wonder he's so good at making jokes; he literally is one.

When you get to Snowdin, it's completely uninhabited, a mere shell of the cheery, closely knit community it once was. A ghost town in every sense of the word.

There is nothing for us here, and so you move on, crunching your feet robotically in the snow as you exit the town and enter a raging blizzard. And although your vision is perpetrated by the pelting snowflakes around you, I get a feeling that we're getting close to our next destination, and the suggestion sends a chill down your spine.

Sure enough, the snow begins to lighten, and eventually gives way enough so that you can make out a figure in front of you. A figure who is conveniently dressed in bright blue and red attire, allowing him to stand out like a sore thumb among the snow.

“HALT, HUMAN!” He orders as you approach. You don't halt. 

“HEY, QUIT MOVING WHILE I'M TALKING TO YOU!” He shouts again, irritated. “I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE SOME THINGS TO SAY.”

Oh goodie! I can't wait to hear this.

“FIRST: YOU´RE A FREAKING WEIRDO! NOT ONLY DO YOU NOT LIKE PUZZLES, BUT THE WAY YOU SHAMBLE ABOUT FROM PLACE TO PLACE… THE WAY YOUR HANDS ARE ALWAYS COVERED IN DUSTY POWDER. IT FEELS… LIKE YOUR LIFE IS GOING DOWN A DANGEROUS PATH.

Well no shit. Does he actually think that we care at this point? My life started down a dangerous path the moment I was born into this merciless world, and now it will end on that same path as well.

“HOWEVER!” Papyrus continues, much to my frustration, “I, PAPYRUS, SEE GREAT POTENTIAL WITHIN YOU!

EVERYONE CAN BE A GREAT PERSON IF THEY TRY! AND ME, I HARDLY HAVE TO TRY AT ALL!!! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!!”

Growing impatient, I take control of your body and take a step further toward him. The look of incredulity on his face is almost amusing.

“HEY, QUIT MOVING! THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT! HUMAN! I THINK YOU ARE IN NEED OF GUIDANCE! SOMEONE NEEDS TO KEEP YOU ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW! BUT WORRY NOT! I, PAPYRUS… WILL GLADLY BE YOUR FRIEND AND TUTOR! I WILL TURN YOUR LIFE RIGHT AROUND!!!”

Well, he is right about one thing. You may not need guidance, but I do, and he is going to aide in giving me that guidance. It just won't be in the way he expects.

“I SEE YOU ARE APPROACHING. ARE YOU OFFERING A HUG OF ACCEPTANCE?” he asks, completely oblivious. As you continue to walk toward him, he grins brightly and extends his arms toward you. “WOWIE!! MY LESSONS ARE ALREADY WORKING!! I, PAPYRUS, WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS!”

You stare at him for a good moment, now mere inches away from where he stands. His smile is bright, though hiding something beneath its cheery demeanor. It's a smile that I can only recognize as _fake, fake fake fake,_ completely and utterly fake, just like the smiles everyone used to give me back when I was alive. It's that thought that brings me to dryly murmur, _forgettable._

And with that, you punch Papyrus in the face with your newly acquired tough gloves, causing his head to fly clean off of his body as his body disintegrates into dust.

You stare down at the skull now lying atop the pile of dust, your eyes narrowing slightly and your lips curling into a slight frown. The skull looks surprised, but somehow not as terrified as it probably should be.

“W-WELL, THAT'S NOT WHAT I EXPECTED…” he says with the last of his energy. “BUT... ST... STILL! I BELIEVE IN YOU! YOU CAN DO A LITTLE BETTER! EVEN IF YOU DON'T THINK SO! I... I PROMISE…”

And then, his skull disintegrates as well, the new dust sliding down the pile like lava oozing down the side of a volcano.

He was right; you can do better. But for the path you chose to go down, you won't do better. And if you continue down that path, you never will.

You do continue down that path. You repeat the process for the third time in waterfall, reducing each and every monster to dust. A monster kid follows you around at times, but for the most part they're only a minor annoyance. You have bigger problems to deal with, particularly a strong, heroic fish lady with her heart set on destroying you.

She attacks you several times throughout your journey through waterfall, but each time you manage to narrowly escape. It's only as you're crossing the bridge near the exit that things start to get messy.

“Yo!” comes a familiar, overly-enthusiastic call from behind you. Slowly, emotionlessly, you turn around to see the monster kid from before running up to meet you on the bridge.

“Yo,” the kid says again after they've halted about a foot away from you. They eye you with a look of uncertainty. “Undyne told me to stay away from you. She said you... you hurt a lot of people. ...But, yo, that's not true, right?!”

You remain silent, and the kid starts to grow anxious, taking to twiddling their toes since they do not have thumbs. Unable to help myself, I take control of your body, and I can't help but smile in dull amusement.

"Yo... why won't you answer me? A... a... and what's with that weird expression?"

I take a step closer to the kid so that we're face to face. The kid quivers at my approach.

"Oh... oh man...." The kid turns around suddenly, as if they're contemplating something, and then after a moment they spin back around and face me with a brave look on their face. "Yo… y-you'd b-better st-stop r-right where you are! Cause if you w-wanna hurt anyone else... you're... you're gonna have to get through me first. A... a-and-"

I don't give them time to continue with their pathetic fake heroic shtick. Cutting them off, I initiate a fight, allowing you to get your work done faster. You didn't want to kill the kid at first, of course. Neither did I. But now they're _in my way._ They're in the way of us fulfilling our goal, and that cannot be tolerated. But hey, at least this will give us some _free EXP_ ….

You raise your foot, preparing to kick the kid down with your pointed ballet slippers, but to your surprise, something -- or rather, someone -- intercepts the deadly blow.

You blink a couple times in bafflement before you can fully process the scene before you. The monster kid is sitting on the bridge, now a good distance away from you. And directly in front of you, an injured Undyne stands, clutching a wound across her chest in pain.

Before anyone can react properly, the monster kid jumps to their feet and gazes at their heroine with wide, tear-filled eyes. “Undyne... you're... you're hurt…”

“Hurt?” Undyne rasps out questioningly, as if the very idea is a joke. Putting on a brave grin, she just shakes her head. “It's nothing. Next time, listen when I tell you to leave, okay?”

“Undyne... I…”

“I'll take care of this!” she insists, more forcefully this time. “Get out of here!”

The kid hesitates for a moment longer before deciding to listen to Undyne and flee the scene. Probably the smartest thing they've done all day.

When the child is out of sight, Undyne releases a pained breath and then manages a laugh. “...Heh... "It's nothing"...” She shakes her head as her expression molds into a frustrated scowl. “No... s-somehow, with just one hit… I'm already… Already…D... damn it....” With as much force as she can manage, she slams her fist down onto the bridge, gritting her teeth as she does so. “Papyrus... Alphys... ASGORE… Just like that, I… I've failed you.”

Her body is beginning to fall apart now, dust starting to scatter in the more damaged areas. Her entire figure vibrates intensely as it splits apart. 

The sight is admittedly a bit disappointing. Undyne was supposed to be a true hero, not some weakling who would fall to one hit like everyone else. But, in the end it’s better this way, I suppose. At least she's out of the wa-

“No…” comes a weak voice of protest from the disintegrating monster, and much to my surprise, her body is slowly melding back together. I imagine this would be where a dramatic orchestra piece would start playing, if it were a movie. “My body... It feels like it's splitting apart. Like any instant... I'll scatter into a million pieces.” She winces, her body now nearly whole again. Then she continues more strongly, “But… Deep, deep in my soul. There's a burning feeling I can't describe. A burning feeling that WON'T let me die. This isn't just about monsters anymore, is it? If you get past me, you'll… You'll destroy them all, won't you? Monsters... Humans... Everyone… Everyone's hopes. Everyone's dreams. Vanquished in an instant. But I WON'T let you do that. Right now, everyone in the world… I can feel their hearts beating as one. And we all have ONE goal. To defeat YOU.”

Undyne manages a triumphant grin as she produces a spear out of thin air and points it directly at you. “Human. No, WHATEVER you are. For the sake of the whole world… I, UNDYNE, will strike you down!”

There is a moment of piercing light as Undyne’s body begins to disintegrate once again, only this time, the scattering dust reshapes itself into an entirely new form. One befitting of a true hero.

“You're gonna have to try a little harder than THAT.”

You feel both irritated and fearful upon hearing Undyne’s declaration, but I almost feel a sense of excitement. _The heroine appears._

The battle is long and grueling, and you die several times. But eventually, after many, many tries, you manage to land a blow to Undyne that sends her into a fit of shaking.

“Damn it…” she curses, defeated, her body once again beginning to split apart. “So even THAT power... It wasn't enough...?” Then, she smiles widely, and she laughs. “Heh… Heheheh… If you… If you think I'm gonna give up hope, you're wrong. Cause I've... Got my friends behind me. Alphys told me that she would watch me fight you… And if anything went wrong, she would... evacuate everyone. By now she's called ASGORE and told him to absorb the 6 human SOULs.”

Slowly, her body is beginning to melt, but still she maintains her grin.“And with that power…” she says as her legs succumb to the goop, “This world will live on...!”

And with that, she is gone, reduced to scattered dust and a puddle of goop.

You take a moment to catch your breath and wipe the beads of sweat from your forehead, and as you do, I stare down at Undyne’s remains. She was so determined to save monsters, so determined to be their hero, and I can't help but admire that quality about her. It almost reminds me of myself… or at least, the person who I used to be….

As you continue on through the cave that marks the exit of Waterfall and the entrance to Hotland, I have to remind myself that memories of the past are useless to me now, and that the person I once was is dead. Now I only have one purpose left to serve in this life, and it most certainly is not wallowing in self pity.

You continue your massacre on Hotland. The royal guards attempt to stop you, but like everyone else, they're helpless against your power.

You make your way to the core next, slaughtering every monster in your path. At the end, you reach an elevator that takes you up to the final room, the final barrier, between you and New Home. Inside said room, a certain robot is waiting you.

“MY MY. SO YOU'VE FINALLY ARRIVED. AFTER OUR FIRST MEETING... I REALIZED... SOMETHING GHASTLY. YOU'RE NOT JUST A THREAT TO MONSTERS... BUT HUMANITY, AS WELL. OH MY. THAT'S AN ISSUE. YOU SEE, I CAN'T BE A STAR WITHOUT AN AUDIENCE.AND BESIDES... THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE... I WANT TO PROTECT.”

I take a step forward, growing impatient.

“AH HA HA. EAGER, AS ALWAYS, EH? BUT DON'T TOUCH THAT DIAL. THERE'S SOMETHING YOU HAVEN'T ACCOUNTED FOR. AS ANY TRUE FAN WOULD KNOW, I WAS FIRST CREATED AS A HUMAN ERADICATION ROBOT. IT WAS ONLY AFTER BECOMING A STAR THAT I WAS GIVEN A MORE... PHOTOGENIC BODY. HOWEVER. THOSE ORIGINAL FUNCTIONS HAVE NEVER BEEN FULLY REMOVED. COME ANY CLOSER, AND I'LL BE FORCED TO SHOW YOU... MY TRUE FORM!”

I take another step forward.

“FINE THEN! RRRRREADY? IIIIIIIT'S SHOWTIME!!!”

The lights brighten dramatically as Mettaton transforms. You gaze at his new firm for a moment in awe before snapping out of your daze and striking him down with your burnt pan. He clambers to the ground immediately, proving that, despite all of his threats and dramatic appearance, he is just as weak everyone else. What a pity.

“GH... GUESS YOU DON'T WANT TO JOIN MY FAN CLUB...?” He asks, and never receives an answer because a moment later he transforms again into nothingness. Such an anticlimactic ending for a self-proclaimed star such as him.

This time, you move on, not even wasting a minute to catch your breath or think about what you've just done. At this point, your actions have become completely robotic, as if there isn't even a shred of remorse left inside you.

As you pass over the streets of New Home, I feel nothing. As the entrance of the castle comes into view, I feel nothing. There is nothing left for me here.

Inside the castle, I spot the stairs leading down to the lower levels, the place where we are headed next. They're locked, and there's a note on the lock instructing you on how to unlock it, but I already know what is says. 

The first key is in the kitchen, and so you head in that direction. As you pass through the living, a familiar golden flower pops up out of the ground to block your way.

"Howdy, Chara!” he greets with a smile. “You finally made it home. Remember when we used to play here?” Suddenly, his expression molds into one of nightmare fuel, and he begins to laugh maniacally. “Hee hee hee... boy! Today's gonna be just as fun!"

Right. Fun. I do remember the events he was referring to for a brief moment. I remember running around the castle, playing tag, or hide and seek, or whatever other games we could come up with. Now that's all a thing of the past, and there's only one game left for the two of us to play.

Flowey disappears back beneath the floorboards, and you continue on toward the kitchen. Everything is just how it was the day I died, so much so that it's almost creepy, even the note on the counter is the same. The only things different are the crumpled up recipes for butterscotch pie in the trash.

I'm not sure what it is that prompts me to search the fridge, and I'm not sure why I feel a dull surge of hurt upon seeing the empty spot in the corner where the chocolate normally was. “ _No chocolate,”_ I murmur, voice devoid of all emotion. Then I allow you to carry on.

When you pass through the living room for the second time, this time with a little key dangling lifelessly from your keychain, Flowey once again appears. This time he isn't smiling, however. Instead, there is a solemn frown planted on his face.

"I remember when I first woke up here in the garden,” he tells me. “I was so scared. I couldn't feel my arms or my legs.... My entire body had turned into a flower! "Mom! Dad! Somebody help me!" I called out."

There's a brief pause, and then he mutters dryly, "But nobody came."

Again he disappears, and again you continue on. You approach a bookshelf, filled with old books Toriel used to read to me and Asriel, and family photo albums full of forgotten memories. As those very forgotten memories begin to surface within me, I cringe and say forcefully, “ _Nothing useful.”_

Thankfully, you take my word and move on past the bookcase, leaving those feelings of forlorn behind for the time being. 

Next, you enter the first room in the other hallway. My old room. There's a bitter sense of nostalgia upon being here again, but this time the feeling is more raw. “His bed,” I say monotonously as I walk over to it. Then I walk over to other and mutter, “my bed.”

I notice a drawing on the wall above it, one depicting a poorly drawn golden flower, and I wince. “ _My drawing.”_

Then, as the unwanted nostalgia is already beginning to consume me, I spot a familiar object on my dresser and find myself walking over to it like a zombie, feeling hazy, dissociative.

It's a picture frame, I realize. And inside is a family photo, in which everyone is smiling. I stare at the picture for a long moment in silence, feeling something uncomfortable stirring within me. The family in the picture seems so familiar, and yet at the same time, so distant. For a moment, I wish I could become one with the picture, reinserting myself into the life of the small child hiding timidly behind a bouquet of flowers. But then you move away from the picture, whisking away control of your body, and my unrealistic fantasies along with it.

You kneel down in the center of the room, beside two gift-wrapped boxes. I doubt there will be anything useful in there, but you decide to open one anyway. Mechanically, you reach into the box and pull out a golden, heart-shaped locket. _My_ golden heart-shaped locket, I realize with another jolt. _You can feel it beating._

You decide to equip the locket, wrapping it around your neck and allowing the golden heart to fall against your chest, right above your own heart. I take control of your body for a moment so I can run my fingers along the surface, just like I used to. _Right where it belongs._

I give you back control after that, and you open the next box to reveal a knife. _Here we are!_

You grasp the knife in your hands, getting a feel for the deadly weapon. _About time._

Having nothing left of use to you in this room, you carry on to the next, leaving behind the haunting memories that plague that room for good. 

As you make your way down the hallway, Flowey pops up again to continue his monologue.

"Eventually, the king found me, crying in the garden,” he softly begins. “I explained what had happened to him. Then he held me, Chara. He held me with tears in his eyes, saying "There, there. Everything is going to be alright." He was so... emotional. But... for some reason... I didn't feel anything at all."

Flowey disappears again, and you grab the final key off the desk in the hallway, and then head into the final room -- Asgore’s room.

For the most part, there is nothing useful in there. Just an old diary, in which the entries are all the same, and a trophy long lost to the past. When you look in the dresser, however, I spot a familiar object, and once again feel a wave of sadness. It's nothing much -- just an old, pink sweater that says “Mr. Dad Guy” on it. Yet still, I find myself feeling baffled, almost… touched upon seeing it there in the king's drawer. _Still has that sweater…._

Wait… why am I feeling this way? These old memories hold no value to me anymore, so why should I even care? You already killed one of the old inhabitants of this home, and now you're about to kill the other. So why would I even care? It's not like these feelings will mean anything after we have completed our mission.

Why would I even care?

_Why should I even care???_

You exit the king's room and finally make your way back through the narrow hallway, and I unlock the chain that blocks off the staircase. Then, I head down.

After walking for a short distance, Flowey appears again.

"I soon realized I didn't feel ANYTHING about ANYONE. My compassion had disappeared! And believe me, it's not like I wasn't trying. I wasted weeks with that stupid king, vainly hoping I would feel something. But it became too much for me. I ran away from home. Eventually, I reached the ruins. Inside I found HER, Chara. I thought of all people, SHE could make me feel whole again." A pause, and then, "she failed. Ha ha...."

I walk a few more steps before Flowey continues.

"I realized those two were useless. I became despondent. I just wanted to love someone. I just wanted to care about someone. Chara, you might not believe this... but I decided... it wasn't worth living anymore. Not in a world without love. Not in a world without you. So... I decided to follow in your footsteps. I would erase myself from existence. And you know what? I succeeded."

I feel a pang of… something upon hearing his words. Pity, maybe. Something that should probably be empathy, but isn't. He couldn't bare to live in a world without me, and so he tried to kill himself…. The old Chara would have thought his words to be heartwarming, probably would have given him a hug or attempted to comfort him at the very least. But me… I just find it pathetic.

"But as I left this mortal coil,” he somberly continues on, “I started to feel apprehensive. If you don't have a SOUL, what happens when you...? Something primal started to burn inside me. "No," I thought. "I don't want to die!" ...Then I woke up. Like it was all just a bad dream. I was back at the garden. Back at my 'save point'."

Ah yes, the power of determination. I know that power all too well.

"Interested, I decided to experiment. Again and again, I brought myself to the edge of death. At any point, I could have let this world carry on without me. But as long as I was determined to live... I could go back. Amazing, isn't it, Chara? I was amazed too."

I take a few more steps forward, and then:

"At first, I used my powers for good. I became "friends" with everyone. I solved all their problems flawlessly. Their companionship was amusing... for a while. As time repeated, people proved themselves predictable. What would this person say if I gave them this? Would would they do if I said this to them? Once you know the answer, that's it. That's all they are."

I contemplate the story as I take a few more steps. I have a feeling I know where it's going.

"It all started because I was curious. Curious what would happen if I killed them.” 

And I predicted correctly. 

“‘I don't like this,’ I told myself. I'm just doing this because I HAVE to know what happens.” Suddenly, he bursts into laughter. “Ha ha ha! What an excuse! You of all people must know how liberating it is to act this way. At least we're better than those sickos that stand around and WATCH it happen! Those pathetic people that want to see it, but are too weak to do it themselves. I bet someone like that's watching right now, aren't they...?"

I can't help but feel a bit offended by his words. He thinks people who watch are weak and pathetic? But… all this time, _I_ have been the one watching everything happen. And sure, I helped once in a while outside of battle and gave commentary, but I haven't killed anyone. That has all been _your_ doing thus far.

Well… I'll show him. I will not be labeled as weak or pathetic.

After I take a few more steps, Flowey reappears with a sigh. "Nowadays, even that's grown tiring. You understand, Chara. I've done everything this world has to offer. I've read every book. I've burned every book. I've won every game, I've lost every game. I've appeased everyone, I've killed everyone. Sets of numbers... lines of dialogue.... I've seen them all. But you... YOU'RE different. I never could predict YOU, Chara.

"When I saw you in the ruins, I didn't recognize you. I thought I could frighten you, then steal your SOUL. I failed. And when I tried to load my save file... it didn't work. Chara... your DETERMINATION! Somehow, it's even greater than mine!"

Ha. “My” determination. What a funny thing to say, when “my” determination has been gone for a long, long time. Now, I _am_ determination. That is all that is left of me. Just a remnant of a dead child given a new purpose through another's determination.

"I just have one question for you, Chara,” Flowey goes on. “How did you get back to the ruins from here...?”

Even if I had an answer, he doesn't wait for it.

“...Wait, I know. She must have taken you when she left. And decided to give you a proper burial, rather than... hanging out in the basement forever. But... why then...? What made you wake up? Did you hear me calling you...?”

Was that it? I don't even remember at this point. It feels like an eternity ago.

Flowey sighs at my lack of a response. "It doesn't matter now.” Then he shakes his head, changing the subject. “I'm so tired of this, Chara. I'm tired of all these people. I'm tired of all these places. I'm tired of being a flower. Chara... There's just one thing left I want to do. Let's finish what we started. Let's free everyone. Then... let's let them see what humanity is REALLY like! That despite it all, this world is still 'kill or be killed'!"

I raise an eyebrow, taken aback by his sudden change of plans. I do not like where this is going, but my distant fantasies feed on it, and so curiously, I answer, "And then what would we do?"

"Then...?” Flowey looks surprised, and then mellows out his expression, a small smile forming in his visage. “Well... I had... been entertaining a few ways to use that power. Hee hee hee... But seeing you here changed my mind. Chara... I think if you're around... just living in the surface world doesn't seem so bad."

"And the SOULs?" I probe, still feeding into this distant, hopeless fantasy for reasons I cannot fathom.

"We don't even need to leave to get them this time!” he exclaims cheerily. “The king has 6 of them locked away. I've tried hundreds of ways to get him to show me them... but he just won't! Chara... I know he'll do it for YOU."

I ponder the idea for a moment before reality comes crashing into me like “friendliness pellets”. What am I even thinking??? Am I going insane??? This tale of death and suffering cannot possibly have a happy ending! And… I can't just abandon everything now. Not after all that we've accomplished. 

And so, coldly, I ask, "Why are you telling me all of this?"

Flowey looks surprised. "Why am I telling you all of this? Chara, I said it before. Even after all this time... you're still the only one that understands me. You won't give me any worthless pity! Creatures like us... wouldn't hesitate to KILL each other if we got in each other's way!”

At his explanation, my lips begin to curl up into a wry, creepy smile. He's right; there's no place for traitors in this world.

"So that's... so... that's... why...." Suddenly, Flowey frowns, beginning to shake like the pathetic weakling he always was. "...Ha... ha...” he nervously laughs. “What's this... feeling? Why am I... shaking? Hey, Chara... no hard feelings about back then, right?”

I don't answer him. Instead, I take a step toward him, my knife raised. He betrayed me back then when he chose not to attack the humans on the surface. _H e b e t r a y e d m e ,_ and now he is _i n m y w a y ._

"H-hey, what are you doing?!” he asks, horrified. “B-back off!"

"I... I've changed my mind about all this!” he stammers. “This isn't a good idea anymore. Y-you should go back, Chara. This place is fine the way it is!"

I merely smile at that as I take another menacing step toward him. His facade is so obviously fake, and it's honestly just so funny! It's funny that even now, he would dare to betray my plans.

"S-s-stop making that creepy face!” he demands. “This isn't funny! You've got a SICK sense of humor!”

I laugh sinisterly at that, and he disappears, probably for good this time. That's fine, though. I don't need him anymore anyway.

I continue walking through the streets of New Home until I reach the hall -- the magnificent room in which sunlight shone down through the barrier.

As I enter the room, I spot a glowing light of determination, and allow you to take control once again in order to save. Then, you walk forward, and a shadowy figure comes into view.

When you get to be a few feet away from the figure, you halt. What could he want from you? Is he going to give you a lecture? Attempt to stop you? Now that would be amusing. Whatever it is he wants though, it won't matter, because soon he’ll be joining his brother in the wonderful place known as _d e a t h._

“heya. you've been busy, huh?” he says casually. There;s a brief pause, and then he starts again, not-so-casually. “so, i've got a question for ya. do you think even the worst person can change...? that everyone can be a good person, if they just try?”

I answer him by taking a step forward, knife raised, and Sans merely laughs.

“heh heh heh heh… all right. well, here's a better question. do you wanna have a bad time? cause if you take another step forward… you are REALLY not going to like what happens next.”

Taking his challenge, I take another step.

Apparently no longer finding it in him to laugh, Sans lets out a sigh. “welp. sorry, old lady. this is why i never make promises.”

And with that, your soul is whisked from your chest, now colored a royal blue. You stare blankly at the skeleton in front of you as you prepare for whatever pathetic attack he has planned.

“It's a beautiful day outside,” he tells you calmly. “Birds are singing, flowers are blooming… on days like these, kids like you…” Suddenly, his eyelights disappear, his eye sockets becoming a dark, chilling void of nothingness. “...should be burning in hell.”

Before you have time to process his odd, admittedly clever choice of words, he has lifted you into the air by your soul, and sends a plethora of bullets your way. You attempt to dodge them as best as you can, but in the end it’s just too much for you to process, and you end up dying almost immediately.

It's pathetic, how you fell so quickly to the weakest enemy. But even still, you won't give up. That skeleton won't be laughing for long.

You load your save file, and you try again.

And again.

And again.

He dodges all of your attacks, making it all the more frustrating. 

_He can't dodge forever,_ I tell you encouragingly. 

Eventually, after what feels like an eternity, you get to a point where he just… falls asleep. That is his “special attack”, he tells you. You won't ever be able to kill him now, not when he's asleep and you're frozen in place, unable to reach for the knife that rests on the tiles at your feet.

At least, that's what he thinks. But he wasn't accounting for me being inside your soul.

Coming up with an idea, I move your soul toward the edge of your body, and thus end up moving your body along with it. I do so until you can finally reach your knife.

Once you have managed to grab a hold of the knife again, you briskly swing it at the sleeping skeleton, feeling every moment of rage and frustration from his fight burning within you. This is it. This is the what everything has come down to.

Unfortunately, he dodges.

“heh, didja really think you would be able-”

Thinking quickly, I seize control of your body and swing the knife at Sans once more. And this time, it meets with his body successfully, leaving a huge, red slash across his chest. Red stuff oozes from the wound, along with his mouth. Whether the substance is blood or ketchup or something else, I do not care. All that matters now is that we won! Finally, after all this time, we get to watch him suffer just as much as we did.

As Sans coughs up more of the red substance, he looks off to the distance absentmindedly. “... ... ... so... guess that's it, huh? ... just... don't say i didn't warn you. welp. i'm going to grillby's. papyrus, do you want anything?”

And with that, he is dead. Sans, the weakest enemy, yet the biggest nuisance, is dead. And I killed him.

Heh. That will show Flowey how “weak” and “pathetic” I am. Now I am no longer just a person watching the killings happen; now, I am practically the biggest contributor to them.

I move through the hall, smirking as I revel in my victory. Sure, there is nothing left for me here, just as Sans told you. But that is the point. Just a few more people in my way, and then our goal will be complete, my purpose fulfilled.

As I enter the garden, I spot a familiar goat-like creature. He is large, with long golden hair, a beard, and horns jutting out of his head. But despite his somewhat frightening appearance and regal status, he is weak. And despite the relationship he and I used to have, I feel nothing upon seeing him. Now, even the fleeting, bitter sense of nostalgia is completely gone.

“Curious,” the king says, talking over the muffled sobs of another creature. “I've never seen a plant… cry before.”

Grinning sinisterly, I clear my throat, and he turns around, looking surprised. “Huh? You must be the one that flower just warned me about. Howdy!”

I do not return the greeting, instead electing to stare at him, my smile still painted on my face like that of a porcelain doll’s.

The king frowns. “Erm… what kind of monster are you...? Sorry, I cannot tell.”

I give a slight laugh at that. He cannot even recognize me as human, let alone his former foster child. I don't blame him though; between the dust cloaking my body and the warped expression I am making, I imagine I wouldn't look very normal anymore, would I?

“Well,” the king goes on, “we can always-”

Cutting him off, I step forward, initiating a fight. The king looks taken aback by my actions.

“Now now,” he says calmly, “There's no need to fight. Why not settle this… over a nice cup of tea?”

His kind, gentle words always used to win me over. Now though, they have no effect. Quickly, emotionlessly, I strike down my knife, and watch as the king falls to the ground at my feet in shock.

“Why…” he rasps out, looking me sadly in the eye, “you….”

Before he can say anything else, a circle of pellets form around his body and strikes him again, causing him to completely dissipate. And as his body shatters into dust, the pellets once again circle the remaining soul and strike that too, destroying it as well.

“See?” an irritatingly familiar voice says as the irritatingly familiar face of a certain irritating flower pops up in front of me. “I never betrayed you!” he exclaims, as if I would be idiotic enough to fall for his deceitful facade. “It was all a trick, see! I was waiting to kill him for you! After all it's me, your best friend!” Suddenly, he changes his expression so that it matches Asriel's, right down to the innocent brown eyes and faint blush that always used to be present on his cheeks. “I'm helpful,” he goes on to tell you. “I can be useful to you, I promise I won't get in your way! I can help… I can… I can….” There is a brief pause before he sniffles, and then pleadingly, in Asriel's voice, he says, “Please don't kill me.”

I hesitate for a moment, my knife frozen in my hand. Despite the smile painted on my face, I am shaking, and despite the overwhelming urge I have to end this pathetic creature's life here and now, I can't help but feel like somewhere deep down, some part of me doesn't want to do this.

But then, the moment of hesitation is gone, and with it any feelings of love I once felt for him. Hastily, I bring my knife down. And then I bring it down again. And again. And again. And again. And again and again and again, until there is nothing left of my “best friend” but a pile of torn, shriveled petals.

Now there is truly nothing left for me in this world. My purpose has been fulfilled.

Still smiling, I withdraw into the depths of your soul where you now reside, and I turn to face you.

“Greetings. I am Chara. Thank you. Your power awakened me from death. My "human soul"... My "determination"... They were not mine, but YOURS.

“At first, I was so confused. Our plan had failed, hadn't it? Why was I brought back to life? ...You. With your guidance. I realized the purpose of my reincarnation. Power. Together, we eradicated the enemy and became strong. HP. ATK. DEF. GOLD. EXP. LV. Every time a number increases, that feeling… That's me. "Chara."

“Now. Now we have reached the absolute. There is nothing left for us here. Let us erase this pointless world, and move on to the next.”

You just stand there for a moment, staring at me just as emotionlessly as usual. I do not understand why you need to take so much time to make a decision; you already made your choice long ago, after all. But still, I await your response.

After several more moments of silence, your lips curl down to form a solemn frown, and, very quietly, you mutter, “no.”

“No...?” I repeat, unable to believe the response I just heard. You, the person who guided me, who gave me direction again. You, who slaughtered almost every monster in the underground. You, who I placed my trust in, and considered to be my partner… have betrayed me. 

“Hmmm…” I drawl, still smiling despite everything. “How curious. You must have misunderstood. SINCE WHEN WERE YOU THE ONE IN CONTROL?”

I laugh as I strike you down, just I struck down my previous partner, along with the entire world. Even after you are dead, I continue to laugh as I destroy the entire world. I laugh so hard that tears stream down my face.

It's just so funny! So funny, that you would betray my trust just like _he_ did back then. So funny, that you lead me on this entire time, only to back out at the very end.

So funny, that despite your betrayal, it was your guidance that allowed me to win the game.


End file.
